News and Events for the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Information Technology at UMBC.

News / Announcements

May 1, 2015

Lee Blaney receives 2015 Outstanding Faculty Award

On April 30, Dr. Lee Blaney was awarded the 2015 Donald Creighton Outstanding Faculty Award. The UMBC Graduate Student Association established this award to honor an outstanding advisor, mentor, or professor who strives to aid graduate students in their academic and professional pursuits during their time at UMBC.

Congratulations to Dr. Blaney, who is pictured below with graduate research assistants Utsav Shashvatt (L) and Ke He (R).

April 22, 2015

Ghosh lab receives awards from AAEES

Congratulations to the Upal Ghosh Lab for receiving two awards from the American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists (AAEES), the governing body that gives the board certification for Environmental Engineering. The awards were presented at their Annual Conference and Awards Luncheon on Thursday, April 23rd.

Honor awards were received in two categories:

One under University Research category submitted by Dr. Ghosh in which graduate assistants Eli Patmont and Hilda Fadaei are named participants, along with Allen Place from the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology.

A second one submitted by the Delaware Dept of Natural Resources for the remediation of Mirror Lake under small projects. UMBC is a participant in the award. This project implemented a remediation technology developed at UMBC to clean up a polluted lake.

April 21, 2015

Nick Rogers receives 2015 Undergraduate Award from ACS

Congratulations to Nicholas Rogers, a fourth year Chemical Engineering student, on receiving the 2015 Undergraduate Award from the American Chemical Society’s Division of Environmental Chemistry. Mr. Rogers works in Dr. Lee Blaney’s laboratory and will be presenting his research at the International Water Association’s NOM 6 conference in Malmo, Sweden (Sept. 2015).

March 13, 2015

CAST team awarded $50k at National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation

Congratulations to CBEE Professor Govind Rao and the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) team, who won $50,000 at the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI), held February 12th at University of Maryland, College Park.

CAST presented their design for a low-cost respiration monitor for premature newborns. This innovative device, which monitors oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in preemies’ blood, is much safer than current techniques because it is completely non-invasive, removing risks associated with conventional methods that either cause burns or require so many pinpricks the tiny babies need blood transfusions. Clinical trials have shown that the device measures carbon dioxide and oxygen levels with 90 percent accuracy compared to traditional tests.

The lab plans to use the new funds to automate and miniaturize the monitor for interested markets. Dr. Rao has established relationships with potential collaborators in Ethiopia, the Philippines, India, Mexico, and Nepal, and is partnered with General Electric, who will eventually manufacture the device.

March 9, 2015

Upal Ghosh assumes role as Editor for Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Congratulations to Dr. Upal Ghosh, who has been named as an Editor for the SETAC journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. He will be one of several editors of the journal and will handle papers in the fields of environmental remediation and pollutant bioavailability. Dr. Ghosh is looking forward to this role, especially as SETAC is seeking to increase the engagement of engineers.

March 4, 2015

CBEE undergrad awarded prestigious scholarship

Congratulations to Hollie Adejumo from the Blaney Lab for winning the UNCF-Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Award. Hollie was one of just 15 students from across the country to receive this prestigious award, which provides up to $30,000 in academic support, as well as an internship at a Merck Facility or other research institution.

December 10, 2014

CBEE undergrads interviewed on WBAL TV

To highlight the growing need for more minorities to help fill energy-related jobs of the future, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz visited UMBC on Tuesday, December 9th. Moniz shared coffee and conversations with UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and some the school's students enrolled in the popular Meyerhoff Scholars Program, including Chemical Engineering students Stephen Vichhio and Aida Berhane.
Both students were interviewed by WBAL TV for a news segment that can be seen here.

November 7, 2014

Undergrad Apurva Shah featured in The Retriever

Congratulations to Apurva Shah, class of 2016, who was recently featured as Researcher of The Week in The Retriever. Shah has been working in the Blaney Lab, researching “pharmaceuticals and other contaminants [that] have been detected in drinking water and other water matrices.”

October 31, 2014

Swarnalatha Balasubramanian successfully defends PhD

Congratulations to Swarnalatha Balasubramanian, who successfully defended her Ph.D. on October 30th, 2014. Her research was performed in the Leach Lab; the title of her dissertation was Astrocyte Response to 3D Microenvironments

October 23, 2014

Grad student Adil Zuber featured on The Helix

Congratulations to PhD student Adil Zuber, who is featured on myUMBC blog The Helix. Zuber is involved in therapeutic protein research in the Frey lab at TRC. He is working on a “factory-in-a-shoebox” device that could revolutionize access to protein-based medications in remote or war-torn locales.

October 10, 2014

Undergrad Kristina Higgins featured on UMBC Giving blog

Congratulations to Kristina Higgens, a chemical engineering major, whose Q&A with UMBC Giving was recently published on their blog. Kristina is a recipient of the Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship, and was asked to share her UMBC experience with donors and alumni. Her feature can be found here: http://bit.ly/1nfLUcF

September 30, 2014

CBEE students compete in national design competition

Congratulations to Elvis Andino, Trevor Needham, Eli Patmont, and James Sanders, who competed in the national student design competition at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) in New Orleans, LA on September 28th. After winning the regional competition hosted by the Chesapeake Water Environment Association, the team was awarded a cash prize and travel scholarships to WEFTEC.

September 9, 2014

Miguel A. Acosta featured in North Carolina State University News

Congratulations to Dr. Miguel A. Acosta, a graduate from our department's Ph.D. program, for being featured today within North Carolina State University’s newsletter. The showcase comes in a move to feature the university’s minority scientists in STEM fields and to motivate minority students to embark in scientific careers through the success of their peers. The article is available at the following link: http://news.ncsu.edu/2014/09/science-looks-like-miguel-acosta/

Zachary Hopkins successfully defends MS

Congratulations to Zachary Hopkins (Blaney Lab) on the successful defense of his MS thesis, Transformation of UV-filters by ozone: Reaction kinetics and removal of UV absorbance. This fall, Zack will start a PhD program in Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University.

Ke He wins Best Poster Award at ACS

Congratulations to Ke He from the Blaney Lab for winning the Best Poster Award in the “Analytical Methods for Detecting and Prioritizing Contaminants of Concern” symposium at the fall 2014 American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco, CA. His poster was titled, Determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics in wastewater by solid-phase extraction high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection.

June 30, 2014

Arundhathi Venkatasubramaniam successfully defends Ph.D.

Congratulations to Arundhathi Venkatasubramaniam, who successfully defended her Ph.D. on June 27, 2014. Her research was performed in the Good Lab; the title of her dissertation wasEngineering tools to analyze Aβ's effects on cellular mechanisms linked to the neurodegeneration observed in Alzheimer's disease

June 23, 2014

Lee Blaney and Dalton Hughes interviewed for UMBC In the Loop

Dr. Lee Blaney and Class of 2014 student, Dalton Hughes, were recently interviewed by Dinah Winnick, Director of Communications at UMBC. The video was produced by Bill Shewbridge and the UMBC in the Loop program, and stemmed from work completed by the UMBC Engineers Without Borders chapter in Kenya. This work was partially funded by the UMBC BreakingGround initiative.

“In the Loop” is a series of half-hour programs highlighting the work of UMBC faculty in research and the arts. You can view the interview here:

June 13, 2014

Antonio Moreira Honored by Portuguese Government

The President of Portugal, on behalf of the Portuguese Government, has awarded CBEE Professor Antonio Moreira the National Order of Civil Merit of Public Education. This was timed to occur with the National Day of Portugal which was celebrated on June 10th.

Upal Ghosh Partners With Newcastle University in Urban Water Quality Study

CBEE professor Upal Ghosh has partnered with Newcastle University in the project:

Development of Sustainable Technologies to Investigate, Restore and Protect the Urban Water Environment. Newcastle University, University of Maryland Baltimore County (US), Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (India) and CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute Nagpur (India)

The grant, instituted through Newcastle University will support student and faculty research exchanges among the partnering institutions, and will examine urban water quality.

CBEE Undergrad Dalton Hughes featured in Baltimore Sun

Mr. Hughes is a Meyerhoff Scholar, Janice Antoine Lumpkin Scholar, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholar, and MARC U*STAR Scholar, as well as a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. He plans to continue his studies at Duke University, where he will pursue a M.D./Ph.D.

May 13, 2014

Jessica Lee Receives 2014 Undergraduate Award

Congratulations to Jessica Lee, a third year Chemical Engineering student, on receiving the 2014 Undergraduate Award from the American Chemical Society’s Division of Environmental Chemistry. Ms. Lee works in Dr. Lee Blaney’s laboratory and recently presented her research at the 247th ACS meeting in Dallas, TX.

CBEE Grad Students Win Design Competition

Congratulations to CBEE graduate students, Elvis Andino, Trevor Needham, Eli Patmont, and James Sanders, who won first place in the Chesapeake Water Environment Association (CWEA) Student Design Competition. The team of four entered the competition as part of Dr. Lee Blaney’s ENCE 612 course. On May 8th, the team presented their design to CWEA members at the Baltimore Public Works Museum. Their award includes a $1000 cash prize and a travel allowance to the national Water Environment Federation conference.

May 9, 2014

Dr. Julia Ross is new Dean of UMBC COEIT

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Julia Ross, Professor of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering and former Department Chair, has just been named Dean of the UMBC College of Engineering and Information Technology. Official announcement at this link.

May 1, 2014

CEE alumnus Barbara Beckingham appointed to faculty position

Congratulations to Environmental Engineering PhD grad Barbara Beckingham ('11) on her appointment as Assistant Professor at College of Charleston. Dr. Beckingham recently finished her post-doctoral research position at University of Tübingen, Germany and is our first Ph.D. student from the environmental engineering program to go on to a faculty position.

April 28, 2014

CBEE undergrad Dalton Hughes was among the panelists at the U.S. News STEM Solutions conference on April 23, 2014 and spoke about his UMBC experiences in a discussion moderated by PBS Newshour co-anchor Judy Woodruff.

The panel addressed major issues in STEM education, including the challenge of retaining students as STEM majors, the need to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in STEM, and the importance of mentorship and a supportive peer community in student success.

April 17, 2014

Upal Ghosh awarded Maryland Innovation grant

Professor Kevin Sowers, Professor of Marine Biotechnology at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET), and Professor Upal Ghosh, at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, have received a $100,000 grant from the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII). The grant will fund research to that will ameliorate the environmental harms of PCB’s. The program is an initiative of the Technology Council of Maryland (TEDCO) created in 1998 to spur commercialization of scientific research in Maryland as part of the state’s efforts to foster economic development through academic research.

Dr. Sowers is a global leader in environmental science and has pioneered a method that uses activated carbon pellets seeded with microorganisms that degrade the concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediments. In recent laboratory experiments, the cultures Sowers created resulted in over 80% reduction in the PCB mass after treatment.

“Our hope is that this method for treating PCB’s will have a tangible impact in restoring previously degraded areas – both on land and in bodies of water,” says Sowers. “PCB’s have long been a harmful and largely intransigent pollutant and our work is intended to address serious health impacts these chemicals have on people, animals and the environment.”

Sowers is collaborating in this work with Upal Ghosh, a professor at the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at UMBC. “The magnitude of PCB sediment contamination and associated water quality problems in the United States is reflected in more than 3,200 state and local advisories that have warned the public about of the health impacts of consuming contaminated fish. These warnings cover 24% of total river miles throughout the United States,” Ghosh says. “The advisories include 100% of the Great Lakes and 35% of all other lakes nationwide.” PCBs are frequently reported as the leading contaminants at impacted sites. Current remediation technologies are expensive, destructive to environmentally sensitive areas, and difficult to coordinate with local activities. The technology proposed by Sowers and Ghosh addresses existing challenges and is especially suitable for environmentally sensitive sites such as wetlands and difficult-to-reach areas under-pier structures in contaminated harbors. This technology advances an in-situ remediation approach using activated carbon that has been recently developed by Ghosh and commercialized through a startup company Sediment Solutions.

The Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) was created as a partnership between the State of Maryland and five Maryland academic research institutions (Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore and University of Maryland Baltimore County.) The program is designed to promote commercialization of research conducted between and among the partnership universities and it leverages each institution’s unique strengths.

“The MII program is critically important to our partner universities and the citizens of Maryland,” noted Russell Hill, IMET Director, “because it facilitates the transformation of basic science into practical and far-reaching applications. We are grateful for TEDCO’s support and foresight in addressing this important environmental issue and are proud of the excellent research being done by Dr. Sowers and Dr. Ghosh.”

TEDCO
The Maryland State Legislature created TEDCO in 1998 to facilitate the transfer and commercialization of technology from Maryland’s research universities and federal labs into the marketplace and to assist in the creation and growth of technology-based businesses in all regions of the State. TEDCO is an independent organization that strives to be Maryland’s leading source for entrepreneurial business assistance and seed funding for the development of startup companies in Maryland’s innovation economy.

INSTITUTE OF MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
Located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology is a strategic alliance involving scientists at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the University of Maryland Baltimore and the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Scientists are engaged in cutting-edge research in microbiology, molecular genetic analysis and biotechnology, using marine resources to develop new drug therapies, alternative energy and other innovations to improve public health and economic opportunities. IMET also contributes to sustainable marine aquaculture and fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay and other marine ecosystems.

March 31, 2014

Doug Frey Chosen As Yale’s Horvath Memorial Lecturer

Doug Frey, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, will be this year’s Horvath Memorial Lecturer at Yale University.

The prestigious Csaba Horvath lecture series is in memory of Professor Csaba Horvath, who is responsible for developing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), without which modern chemistry and biotechnology would be difficult, if not impossible. The lecture is sponsored by Yale’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and The Goizueta Foundation.

Dr. Frey will speak on new methods and applications for the chromatography of biological macromolecules at Yale on April 16.

March 2, 2014

Groovy Science Night 2014

Graduate students from the department participated in an outreach event at a local elementary school called "Groovy Science Night." UMBC students helped the elementary students learn about rheology, microscopy and polymer science... all while having fun! For more pictures see the UMBC GSN web site.

December 12, 2013

Nuno Dos Santos Pinto successfully defends Ph.D.

Congratulations to Nuno Dos Santos Pinto, who successfully defended his Ph.D. on December 8th, 2013. His research was performed in the Frey Lab; the title of his dissertation was Novel hybrid chromatofocusing methods for protein purification

October 28, 2013

Dr. Upal Ghosh featured on Smithsonian Science website

A recent article on the Smithsonian Science website highlights the work of CBEE professor Upal Ghosh, along with Cynthia Gilmour from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and their colleagues. These researchers have found a new low-cost, nonhazardous way to reduce the toxicity of hot spots polluted with mercury by using charcoal to trap it in the soil.

The complete Smithsonian Science article can be found at this link and the study "Activated Carbon Mitigates Mercury and Methylmercury Bioavailability in Contaminated Sediments," published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, can be found here

September 25, 2013

Niloufar Pezeshk successfully defends M.S.

Congratulations to Niloufar Pezeshk, who successfully defended her M.S. on September 20th, 2013. Her research was performed in the Good Lab; the title of her dissertation was Inhibiting Amyloid-beta fibrils from binding to cells

June 27, 2013

Help send Engineers Without Borders - UMBC back to Kenya

In January 2013, the EWB-UMBC team traveled to Isongo, Kenya for an assessment trip, during which they successfully established relationships with the residents, mapped the community, analyzed the water quality, and surveyed residents on water, sanitation, and hygiene. Now the group is planning an implementation trip for January 2014 to install a clean water system that will benefit 500 people from Isongo.

But they can’t make the trip without your help.

How can you help?

Your donation makes two things possible: (1) Development of a clean water supply for the community of Isongo, Kenya and (2) transformative experiences for UMBC students interested in international, humanitarian work. You can also help the EWB-UMBC project by spreading the word to your friends, family, and co-workers. Money raised will help pay for materials and tools needed to drill wells in Isongo, as well as travel and lodging costs for student volunteers.
With your help, EWB-UMBC hopes to raise $20,050 to send a team of 6 students to Kenya to complete this important project.

June 25, 2013

Our students are accomplishing great things!

Congratulations to Environmental Engineering graduate student Aditi Bhaskar for receiving a Rising Young Star award at the 2013 Gordon Conference on Catchment Science, which was held Jun 16-21, 2013 in Andover, NH.

Regular conference meetings were preceded by a two-day Gordon Research Seminar, in which graduate students and post-doctoral investigators met as a group to share and discuss their cutting-edge research, build new scientific collaborations and prepare for their interactions with more senior scientists. The goal of the symposium was to promote networking among the young people in advance of the conference in a non-threatening, low-key environment. Students were required to apply in order to be allowed to give oral presentations, and the top three outstanding oral presentations were selected by a vote of all seminar attendees. Rising Young Star recipients were then given the honor of presenting their work to the general conference.

Ms. Bhaskar, who is a research assistant in the Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education (CUERE), did a wonderful job giving her presentation and received congratulations from attendees from around the world, many of whom are senior and well known scientists. CBEE is very proud of her remarkable achievement!

May 5, 2013

Groovy Science Night 2013

Graduate and undergraduate students from the department participated in an outreach event at a local elementary school called "Groovy Science Night." UMBC students helped the elementary students learn about rheology, microscopy and polymer science... all while having fun! For more pictures see the UMBC GSN web site.

April 29, 2013

Hui Guo Successfully Defends Ph.D.

Hui Guo successfully defended her PhD on April 26th, 2013. Her research was performed in the Frey Lab; the title of her dissertation was "Development of Chromatofocusing Techniques Employing Mixed-Mode Column Packings for Biomolecule Separations."

John Bendick Successfully Defends Ph.D.

John Bendick successfully defended his Ph.D. on April 17th, 2013. His research was performed in the Reed Lab; the title of his dissertation was "High Shear Rotary Membrane System Enhancements for Naval Wastewaters".

Angele Kwimi Successfully Defends Ph.D.

Angele Kwimi successfully defended her Ph.D. on March 29th, 2013. Her research was performed in the Reed Lab; the title of her dissertation was "Interaction of As(III), As(V) and PO4 with Fe Oxide Impregnated Activated Carbons: Modeling Multisorbate Adsorption using the Surface Complexation Approach".

February 18, 2013

CBEE travels to Isongo, Kenya for a clean water project with EWB-UMBC

In January 2013, the UMBC chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UMBC) successfully completed an assessment trip to Isongo, Kenya for a clean water project. Students, Chris Mullen (Mechanical Engineering, ‘14) and Dalton Hughes (Chemical Engineering, ‘14), travelled with CBEE professor, Lee Blaney, and professional engineer, Duane Wilding, of the Maryland Environmental Service. The principal goal of this assessment trip was to establish a relationship with the Isongo community and to collect data on the water source currently being used by over 500 villagers. With the help of several community members, the team conducted basic topological surveys, chemical & bacteriological analysis, and household interviews over the weeklong trip.

In partnership with Simiyu House Kenya, a non-profit organization, EWB-UMBC will design and implement a clean and safe water supply for the community of Isongo. Having reliable access to clean water will reduce the incidence of waterborne disease and improve the overall living conditions of the villagers. Currently, the EWB-UMBC chapter is beginning the design phase of the project and raising funds to implement a safe water system in January 2014. The chapter expects to take 5-7 students on the implementation trip.

EWB-UMBC is a student-run organization that seeks to complete sustainable engineering projects in the developing world. All majors and backgrounds are welcome and encouraged to join. More information can be found at http://ewbatumbc.tumblr.com/.

August 27, 2012

Farewell Party for Mary Anderson

The CBEE Department said good bye to Mary Anderson, who faithfully served the department for over 16 years, at a farewell party on Aug 23, 2012. Mary earned her MS degree and is leaving to begin a new career. While we'll miss her very much, we wish her all the best in her new endeavor.

May 11, 2012

Groovy Science Night 2012

Graduate and undergraduate students from the department participated in an outreach event at a local elementary school called "Groovy Science Night." UMBC students helped the elementary students learn about rheology, microscopy and polymer science... all while having fun! For more pictures see the UMBC GSN web site.

November 10, 2011

Welcome to our new Department!

We are happy to announce that the former departments of "Chemical and Biochemical Engineering" and "Civil and Environmental Engineering" have joined forces to create new and exciting educational opportunities for our students. We are now the...

Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering

The merger has created a significantly larger department with expanded research breadth. A few details about ongoing changes are included below. Please be patient while we work to merge our two websites into one and check back often to track the many new things that are happening!

What’s new as a result of the merger?

We’ve hired two new faculty members as part of the merger. Dr. Lee Blaney is a new Assistant Professor and is building a research program focused on advanced treatment processes aimed at removing pharmaceuticals from water and wastewater matrices. Dr. Josh Enszer has joined us as a new Lecturer, conducting courses involving experimental and computational tools, mathematical modeling, and working with new learning technologies.

We are currently searching for another new Assistant Professor.

We are expanding the opportunities for our undergraduates by adding a new track in Environmental Engineering and Sustainability. The track leads to the B.S. degree in chemical engineering and is available to current freshmen and sophomores at UMBC as well as incoming students. Help us spread the word!

What’s still the same?

We continue to offer all of the degree programs from each of the departments including the B.S. in Chemical Engineering, the M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering that is focused exclusively in environmental engineering and water resources.

The people! All faculty and staff from the two departments are still here.

We continue to be a research focused department that is student-centered. Faculty and student success are still our highest priorities and we strive to provide a close-knit and inclusive environment for all.

October 4, 2011

Faculty Search 2011

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) seeks to fill a new tenure-track position
at the assistant professor level as part of a strategic initiative to expand its research and
academic leadership in environmental sustainability.

July 19, 2011

Congratulations to Ph.D. student Barbara Beckingham

Ph.D. student Barbara Beckingham won the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors/Wiley Publishers Best Student Poster award at the Biennial Conference of the organisation in Tampa earlier this week. Barbara's research involves assessment and control of toxic chemical bioavailability to benthic organisms. Shown in this picture, Barbara is getting ready to deploy caged organisms to assess pollutant biouptake at a pilot demonstration site in a contaminated river.

May 31, 2011

Class of 2011

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science degree in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as Dupont, Constellation Energy, Boeing, the Navy, Procter and Gamble, Bechtel, CTC, and graduate schools such as University of Michigan, University of Delaware, Drexel University and UMBC.

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering* and Civil Engineering^

Clockwise: Tomilayo, Shilpa, Nikhila, Mutsa, Archana, and Zach.

The following M.S. graduates completed Master level course work and also worked with Faculty Mentors in their laboratories and have accepted offers of employment with companies including GE and Jacobs Engineering Group.

May 11, 2011

Groovy Science Night 2011

Graduate and undergraduate students from the department participated in an outreach event at a local elementary school called "Groovy Science Night." UMBC students helped the elementary students learn about rheology, microscopy and polymer science... all while having fun! For more pictures see the UMBC GSN web site.

December 18, 2010

Mary Anderson Honored for 30 Years of Service

At the recent UMBC Service Awards, our beloved Mary Anderson was honored for 30 years of faithful service to UMBC. We are grateful for the dedication and excellence that Mary shows in all that she does. Her commitment to the department and the students is clear to all who meet her and her contribution to the department is, quite literally, immeasurable. On behalf of all the students and faculty - THANK YOU!

December 14, 2010

Hiring for Multiple Faculty Positions

Cluster Hire in Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering at UMBC
Three positions to be filled: The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) seeks to fill two
new tenure-track positions at the assistant professor level and one lecturer position as part of a strategic initiative to expand its research and academic leadership in environmental sustainability.

June 14, 2010

Class of 2010

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as ECBC in Aberdeen and graduate schools such as University of Wisconsin, Johns Hopkins University, University of Rochester, EPFL at Lausanne and UMBC.

Recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

Left to right: Silviya Petrova and Jennie Leach & Ben Keshet

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and and have accepted postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institute of Health.

June 2, 2009

Class of 2009

Recipients of Bachelor's of Science in Chemical Engineering

Our B.S. graduates have accepted offers from companies such as MedImmune, Exxon, ECBC in Aberdeen, Lockheed Martin, and graduate schools such as Northwestern University, Cornell University, University of Delaware and UMBC.

The following M.S. graduates completed a thesis describing original research endeavors and have accepted offers of employment at MedImmune or are continuing doctoral degrees in Chemical Engineering at UMBC.

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and and have accepted offers of employment at MedImmune and postdoctoral fellowships at the Korean Samsung Cancer Center and Harvard Children Hospital.

March 27, 2009

Taryn Bayles was selected as recipient of the USM 2009 Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring. This award is the highest honor that the Board of Regents bestows to recognize exemplary faculty achievement.

October 17, 2008

Congratulations to Bhargavi Kondragunta, New PDA Fellow

Bhargavi Kondragunta, a third year Ph.D. student in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, was selected to receive the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) Pre-Doctoral Fellowship. This award is selected through a national competition each year. Bhargavi works with Dr’s Antonio Moreira and Govind Rao. Bhargavi’s project title: Quality by design using high throughput bioreactors with feed-back control (HTCB) to predict multivariable relationships. Bhargavi will use time course analysis with DNA micro arrays to establish comparability of HTCBs to bench scale during fed-batch bioreactor runs. Obtain design space variables, as well as multivariable equations between input process variables and output product attributes using statistical experimental design. Bhargavi earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the Osmania University, Hyderabad, India in 1995 and an M.S. in Chemical Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia. Bhargavi has also held several bioprocess engineering and scientist positions in Upstream Process Development and Technology Transfer for the past 9 year in biopharmaceutical companies in the US.

The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) founded in 1946 is the leading global provider of science, technology and regulatory information and education for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical community. Its mission is to develop scientifically sound, practical technical information and resources for the pharmaceutical industry through the expertise of its global membership. In addition to facilitating development, testing and qualification of new technologies, sponsoring educational conferences and training courses, PDA publishes the PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and the PDA Letter, which focuses on current industry and regulatory news. It continues to be a leading and influential contributor of information for the global regulatory and harmonization processes.

In recognition of the research efforts and influence of students impacting the pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical industry, PDA and the PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology have established Pre-Doctoral Fellowship Program and the Annual Graduate Research Symposium. These programs were developed to promote applied research in areas of study relevant to the scientific foundations of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical product development, drug manufacturing and quality assurance technologies.

Recipients of a Master of Science degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The following M.S. graduates completed a thesis describing original research endeavors and have accepted offers of employment at TAI Engineering and Aberdeen Proving Grounds or are pursuing doctoral degrees in Chemical Engineering at Cornell University and the University of Delaware.

From left to right: Jake McGill, Tony Geisz, Brad Gates and Jessica Drew.

Recipients of a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Chemical & Biochemical Engineering

The following Ph.D. graduates completed a doctoral thesis describing significant research contributions to their field and are currently working at companies such as Wyeth, Regeneron, and Novozymes and postdoctoral fellowships at NIST and Drexel University.

April 18, 2008

Simon Gray Chosen as UMBC Valedictorian

Mr. Simon Gray, a graduating senior in the department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, has been chosen as UMBC’s 2008 Valedictorian.

Simon not only has an outstanding record of academic accomplishment, including a 4.0 GPA, but graduated from High School a year early and has finished all the requirements (and then some) for the Chemical Engineering B.S. degree in just three years. In addition to his course work, Simon completed an internship at Lyondell Chemical Company, and has excelled in undergraduate research. During the summer 2007, Mr. Gray was supported by the National Science Foundation to perform bioremediation research through a program organized by the Ocean University of China. His project analyzed the microbial diversity of crude oil contaminated soil of the Yellow River Delta in Shandong Province, China. In addition, he has performed on campus undergraduate research in the laboratory of Dr. Jennie Leach focused on miniaturizing oxygen sensor technology through the use of biocompatible polymers.

Simon’s aspirations are to be a physician/scientist with his own company. He has been accepted to study at Cambridge next year in a unique program which will combine both advanced studies in Chemical Engineering and Business/Management; after which he will pursue his MD/PhD. In addition, Simon is the recipient of the extremely competitive and tremendously prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Simon conducting High School outreach project as part of ENCH 427 Heat and Mass Transfer, with colleagues from Senior Design class (ENCH 446), and standing on Great Wall of China during Summer Internship.

November 30, 2007

Julia Ross Elected Fellow of AIMBE

Dr. Julia Ross has been elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers. Election to this Institute is done by nomination, selection by a primary committee and final vote by 75% of the current AIMBE membership. Election to Fellow of AIMBE is one of the highest scientific recognitions in the biological and biomedical sciences.

October 13, 2007

Bob Reeves Wins First Place Award at Undergrad Research Symposium

Bob Reeves won a first place award for his poster presentation at the Tenth Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium in the Chemical and Biological Sciences. The Symposium invites contributions from all interested undergraduates concerning their research in any aspect of Chemistry, Biology and Biochemistry and typically draws more than 200 contributions for consideration.

October 12, 2007

Govind Rao Elected AAAS Fellow

Dr. Govind Rao was elected AAAS Fellow for innovative research in the field of optical sensors, which has lead to a paradigm shift in bioprocessing applications. Each year, the AAAS Council elects members whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science or its application are scientifically or socially distinguished.”

June 21, 2007

CBE Chair Wins Women in Engineering Education Award

The American Society for Engineering Education selected Professor Julia Ross to receive the 2007 ASEE Sharon Keillor Award for Women in Engineering Education. The Award recognizes and honors outstanding women engineering educators who have an outstanding record in teaching engineering students, and reasonable performance histories of research and service within an engineering school.

May 20, 2007

Theresa Good Wins Prestegious Creighton Award for Mentoring

Dr. Theresa Good won the UMBC Creighton Award for graduate student mentoring. The award is given annually by the Graduate Student Association to one faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and dedication to graduate students. The award is particularly meaningful as it is given by the students themselves.

May 15, 2007

Graduating Senior Selected 2007 Salutatorian

CBE Senior Erin Voss was selected to be the Class of 2007 salutatorian. A Phi Beta Kappa member and former women’s basketball team captain, she also found time to serve others during her busy years at UMBC. Her academic honors included being named to the National College Athlete Honor Society, a PDA Scholar Award, membership in the Golden Key International Honor Society, a Collegiate All-American Scholar Award, an Outstanding Senior in Chemical Engineering Award and memberships in Phi Kappa Phi honor society and Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. Voss also volunteered at a local hospital, refereed and coached youth basketball, participated in charity distance running events and helped with many other community outreach activities.

April 13, 2007

Mark Marten Wins USM Regents’ Faculty Award

Mark R. Marten was awarded the USM Board of Regents’ Faculty Award for Collaboration in Research. Regents' Faculty Awards publicly recognize distinguished performance on the part of faculty members and are the highest honor presented by the Board of Regents to exemplary faculty members. Awardees are selected by the Council of University System Faculty and submitted to the Board of Regents for approval. Dr. Marten and his collaborator, Dr. David Schaefer, professor of Physics, Astronomy and Geosciences at Towson University, won this award based on national and international recognition for their interdisciplinary research, which serves as a model of inter-USM campus collaboration and advances the biotechnology and bioprocess industries.